Can you please tell me who the man on the American Express Card is? 
He looks like a Roman or something...very strange...I can't seem to
find info on it anywhere.

Dear rutherford,

The man clad in ancient armor is no specific person. The design is
referred to as the "Gladiator" only, both in the original trademark
registration from 1958 where it is described simply as "a gladiator on
a shield", and in the current list of American Express Trademarks and
Service Marks provided on the American Express website, where it is
listed just as the "Gladiator Head Design".

In a 1989 lawsuit (American Express Co. v. Vibra Approved Laboratories
Corp.), the logo is described as "a gladiator head design" only.

So the classic American Express logo depicts only a nameless, rather
generic ancient Roman gladiator.

Regards,
Scriptor



Sources:

United States Patent and Trademark Office: Trademark No. 72134173
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=72134173

American Express Trademarks and Service Marks
http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif/cda/page/0,1641,14270,00.asp

Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C.: American Express Co. v. Vibra
Approved Laboratories Corp., Opinion (PDF File)
http://www.frosszelnick.com/American_Express.pdf

Search terms used:
"american express" gladiator
://www.google.de/search?q=%22american+express%22+gladiator&num=20&hl=de&lr=&newwindow=1&c2coff=1&safe=off&start=0&sa=N

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Request for Answer Clarification by rutherford-ga on 04 Apr 2006 07:39 PDT

I emailed my friend at Amex and got this response...

"Technically, this guy is a Centurion (an officer commanding a Roman
"century" - a subdivision of the Roman legion). He was chosen as the
"mascot" for Amex I think around the time that Amex started as a
freight shipping company because it was believed he embodied the
values below... "

 
"The attributes that today are the hallmarks of the American Express
brand -- trust, integrity, security, quality, customer service -- all
have their roots in this compelling story. In this history, as well,
are the genesis and development of the company's aspiration to become
the world's most respected service brand."


So which is right?  "Gladiator" or "Centurion"?  

Can you so a search on "Centurion" for me.

Thanks

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Clarification of Answer by scriptor-ga on 05 Apr 2006 12:20 PDT

Dear rutherford,

I have done additional research as you requested, but I have not found
any documents confirming the assumption that the person depicted on
the American Express logo is meant to represent a Roman centurion.

Regards,
Scriptor

Thank you!